Lizzie Douglas was born on June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana. She was the eldest from her 13 other siblings. Her parents Abe and Gertrude Douglas nicknamed her the Kid during her early childhood. At the age of 7 she and her family moved to Walls, Mississippi, which was just south of Memphis. The following year after she moved, she received her first guitar for Christmas. She began to practice and learn how to play both the banjo and the guitar and it was seen that she had a great talent as a musician. When she first began performing she did not use her first name Lizzie, but played under the name Kid Douglas. When she was 13 years old she ran away from her home to live on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. She would play on street corners for most of her teenage years and would eventually go home when she ran out of money. She began to get noticed singing and playing guitar on the street corners. This brought an opportunity for her to tour, travel, and play with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Eventually she came back to Beale Street and got consumed in the blues scene. At the time, women, whiskey, and cocaine were high in demand with the people and places she would be around. She made her money by playing guitar, singing, and prostitution, which was not uncommon at the time. Most of the female performers were prostitutes because of financial desperation. It was said “She received $12 for her services-an outrageous fee for the time.” (Memphis Minnie Biography,1). She was known as a woman that was very strong and that could take care of herself.
She had been married three times in her life; first with Will Weldon sometime in the 1920s, then Joe McCoy (1929–1934), and finally to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe), in 1939. She and McCoy would perform together during their marriage. During this time, a talent scout from Columbia Records discovered her. When she and McCoy went to record in New York, she decided to change her name to Memphis Minnie. During the next few years she and McCoy released many singles and duets. She released the song “Bumble Bee” in 1930, which ended up being one of her favorite songs, and led her to a recording contract with the label Vocalion. Under this label, they continued to produce recording for two years, one of them being “I’m Talking About You”, which was one of her more popular songs. They soon decided to leave Vocalion and move to Chicago. She and McCoy introduced country blues to the urban environment and became very well known.
Memphis Minnie continued to have success throughout the years recording under many different labels like Decca Records and Chess Records. Some believe her fame was the reason for her divorce with McCoy due to jealousy and resentment towards her. She remarried after to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe) and began recording material with him. She became very well known in the blues industry and ended up being one of the most famous blues performers of all time, competing with both men and women.
She continued to record throughout the 50’s, but her health began to become a problem for her. She retired from her musical career and ended up going back to Memphis. “Periodically, she would appear on Memphis radio stations to encourage young blues musicians. As the Garons wrote in Women With Guitar, 'She never laid her guitar down, until she could literally no longer pick it up.'” She suffered a stroke in 1960, which caused her to be bound by wheelchair. The following year her husband, Earnest “Little Son Joe” Lawlars died. She had another stroke a short while after and eventually ended up in the Jell Nursing Home. She could no longer survive on her social security income so magazines wrote about her and readers sent her money for assistance. On August 6, 1973 she died of a stroke. She was buried in an unmarked grave at the New Hope Cemetery in Memphis. A headstone paid for by Bonnie Raitt was erected by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund on October 13, 1996 with 35 family members in attendance including her sister, numerous nieces (including Laverne Baker) and nephews. Her headstone is marked:
Lizzie "Kid" Douglas Lawlers
aka Memphis Minnie
The inscription on the back of her gravestone reads:
"The hundreds of sides Minnie recorded are the perfect material to teach us about the blues. For the blues are at once general, and particular, speaking for millions, but in a highly singular, individual voice. Listening to Minnie's songs we hear her fantasies, her dreams, her desires, but we will hear them as if they were our own."
After her death some of her old work began to surface and some of her songs were featured on blues compilations. She was one of the first 20 blues artists that were inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.
Hole in the Wall
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A rat come in here, cutting like a natural man
He got a hole in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
Boys, that rat is a cutter, you ought to understand
He's cutting somebody, everywhere he lands
He got a hole in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
I was over to old man Jones', the other day
He had cut his wife, and 'bout to do his baby, the same old way
He got a hole in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
The cat jumped at him, and he got away
Boys, if you don't watch that rat, he's gonna steal all your meat away
He got a hole in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
I saw old man Collins, might have heard him crying
Boys, the way that woman cut him, he's about to lose his mind
He got a hole in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
The song "Hole in the Wall" by Memphis Minnie is a blues song that describes a "cutter," which is slang for an unfaithful partner. The song describes the actions of a man who sneaks in and out of women's lives, leaving a trail of emotional pain and heartbreak. Memphis Minnie is a master storyteller, and her lyrics vividly paint the picture of the rat-like man who cuts holes in the walls of buildings to easily access the women he is cheating with.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "He got a hole in the wall," which serves as a metaphor for the man's ability to slip in and out of relationships, leaving no trace behind. The line "And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall" suggests that the women he cheats with are not enjoying the experience, and some are even being hurt by his actions.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the predatory behavior of men who cheat on their partners and leave a trail of broken hearts behind. It is a poignant reminder that cheating is not only morally wrong but also hurtful and damaging to those involved.
Line by Line Meaning
There is something wonderful, we can't understand
There is an indescribable wonder that we cannot comprehend
A rat come in here, cutting like a natural man
A rat came inside and is slashing like an expert
He got a hole in the wall
The rat found a small opening in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
The rat discovered a passageway in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
And as he continues to slash, you can hear the girl scream in pain
Boys, that rat is a cutter, you ought to understand
Folks, that rat is an experienced slasher, you should take note
He's cutting somebody, everywhere he lands
He's injuring someone every place he goes
I was over to old man Jones', the other day
The other day, I visited the elderly Mr. Jones
He had cut his wife, and 'bout to do his baby, the same old way
He injured his wife and was about to harm his own child in the same manner
The cat jumped at him, and he got away
The cat attacked him, but he managed to escape
Boys, if you don't watch that rat, he's gonna steal all your meat away
Everyone, if you don't pay attention to that rat, he'll take all your food
I saw old man Collins, might have heard him crying
I saw Mr. Collins, possibly heard him weeping
Boys, the way that woman cut him, he's about to lose his mind
Folks, the manner in which that woman harmed him is driving him insane
He got a hole in the wall
He found a gap in the wall
He got a hole in the wall
He discovered a crevice in the wall
And when he get to cutting, you might have heard the poor girl squall
And as he continues to slash, you can hear the girl scream in pain
Contributed by Ethan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.